Buck Scraping 1

During the Rut or mating season, bucks make their presence known by making scrapes. A scrape is more than just a visual bare spot on the ground where the buck pawed away all the leaves. A scrape is scent marker. The buck will rub his scent onto a low hanging limb and then urinate into the scrape.
Photographed in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.